NTSB issues report in crash that killed NC doctor

MOORESVILLE, NC (AP) – A preliminary report from federal investigators says a crash that killed a Mooresville doctor occurred when his plane lost its propeller during a test flight after the plane had crashed a few months earlier.

The National Transportation Safety Board said in a report released Tuesday that the propeller separated from the plane piloted by Dr. Thomas Scott Wilson while the aircraft was in the air. The crash happened July 18th at the Augusta, GA, Regional Airport.

The 53-year-old doctor was the only person on the 1979 Mooney M20K single-engine aircraft.

The NTSB report says the propeller had been replaced two days before the fatal crash. The plane had been damaged when it crashed in April. Wilson told investigators that he forgot to put down his landing gear in that accident.